Methods and systems for personalizing user experience based on personality traits

ABSTRACT

An electronic device associated with a media-providing service assigns one or more characteristics of media items to at least one respective personality trait of a plurality of personality traits. The media items are provided by the media-providing service. The electronic device assigns one or more user behaviors to a first personality trait and tracks behavior of a user. The electronic device determines that a tracked behavior of the user corresponds to a first user behavior of the one or more user behaviors and assigns the first personality trait to the user based at least in part on determining that the tracked behavior of the user corresponds to the first user behavior. The electronic device provides personalized content to the user in accordance with a determination that the degree to which the tracked behavior of the user corresponds to the first user behavior satisfies a threshold.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 16/186,292, filed Nov. 9,2018, entitled “Methods and Systems for Personalizing User ExperienceBased on Personality Traits,” which is a continuation of Ser. No.15/948,211, filed Apr. 9, 2018 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,148,789), entitled“Methods and Systems for Personalizing User Experience Based onPersonality Traits,” which is a continuation of Ser. No. 15/831,302,filed Dec. 4, 2017 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,942,356), entitled “Methods andSystems for Personalizing User Experience Based on Personality Traits,”which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 15/682,391, filed Aug. 21,2017 (now Ser. No. 10,334,073), entitled “Methods and Systems forSession Clustering Based on User Experience, Behavior, andInteractions,” which is a continuation of Ser. No. 15/442,587, filedFeb. 24, 2017 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,742,871), entitled “Methods andSystems for Session Clustering Based on User Experience, Behavior, andInteractions”; Ser. No. 15/831,302 also claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/463,553, filed Feb. 24, 2017, entitled“Personalizing Content Streaming Based on User Behavior.” All of theseapplications are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed implementations relate generally to personalizing the userexperience for media streaming, and, in particular, to personalizingcontent in accordance with one or more personality traits that areassigned to the user based on content consumed by the user, userbehavior, and/or user demographics.

BACKGROUND

Access to electronic media, such as music and video content, hasexpanded dramatically over time. As a departure from physical media,media content providers (i.e., media-providing services) stream media toelectronic devices (e.g., across wireless networks), improving theconvenience with which users can consume and experience such content. Aspart of the service they provide and to assist users in having apositive user experience, media content providers track and process userdata in an attempt to understand user preferences, and ultimately toprovide relevant content personalization.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for personalizingmedia content in accordance with one or more personality traitsassociated with a user. The one or more personality traits may be a goodindication of the user's preferences for different types of mediacontent. Determining the one or more personality traits for a user andapplying the results to personalize content gives media-providingservices a sophisticated tool for improving user experience.

In accordance with some implementations, a method is performed at anelectronic device associated with a media-providing service. Theelectronic device has one or more processors and memory storinginstructions for execution by the one or more processors. The methodcomprises, at the electronic device, accessing a listening history of auser of the media-providing service. The method also comprises, based atleast in part on the listening history of the user, assigning a firstpersonality trait of a plurality of personality traits to the user. Themethod further comprises providing personalized content to the userbased on the first personality trait.

In accordance with some implementations, an electronic device (e.g., aserver system) includes one or more processors and memory storing one ormore programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors.The one or more programs include instructions for performing theoperations of the method described above. In accordance with someimplementations, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium hasstored therein instructions that, when executed by the electronicdevice, cause the electronic device to perform the operations of themethod described above.

Thus, effective methods are provided for personalizing content for usersof a media-providing service.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The implementations disclosed herein are illustrated by way of example,and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanyingdrawings. Like reference numerals refer to corresponding partsthroughout the drawings and specification.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a media content delivery systemin accordance with some implementations.

FIGS. 2A-2C are flow diagrams illustrating methods for providingpersonalized content in accordance with some implementations.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a client device in accordancewith some implementations.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a media content server inaccordance with some implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made to implementations, examples of which areillustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide anunderstanding of the various described implementations. However, it willbe apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the variousdescribed implementations may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components,circuits, and networks have not been described in detail so as not tounnecessarily obscure aspects of the implementations.

It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc.are, in some instances, used herein to describe various elements, theseelements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used onlyto distinguish one element from another. For example, a firstpersonality trait could be termed a second personality trait, and,similarly, a second personality trait could be termed a firstpersonality trait, without departing from the scope of the variousdescribed implementations. The first personality trait and the secondpersonality trait are both personality traits, but they are not the samepersonality trait.

The terminology used in the description of the various implementationsdescribed herein is for the purpose of describing particularimplementations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in thedescription of the various described implementations and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to includethe plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as usedherein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. It will be furtherunderstood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or“comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term “if” is, optionally, construed to mean “when”or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting”or “in accordance with a determination that,” depending on the context.Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated conditionor event] is detected” is, optionally, construed to mean “upondetermining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [thestated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the statedcondition or event]” or “in accordance with a determination that [astated condition or event] is detected,” depending on the context.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a media content delivery system100 in accordance with some implementations. The media content deliverysystem 100 includes one or more client devices 102 (e.g., client device102-1 to client device 102-m, where m is an integer greater than one),one or more media content servers 104, and one or more mediapresentation systems 108, including speaker 108-1, television (TV)108-2, digital versatile disk (DVD) player 108-3, and/or other mediapresentation system 108-n (where n is an integer greater than three).The one or more media content servers 104 are associated with (e.g., atleast partially compose) a media-providing service. One or more networks112 communicably couple the components of the media content deliverysystem 100. In some implementations, the one or more networks 112include public communication networks, private communication networks,or a combination of both public and private communication networks. Forexample, the one or more networks 112 can be any network (or combinationof networks) such as the Internet, other wide area networks (WAN), localarea networks (LAN), virtual private networks (VPN), metropolitan areanetworks (MAN), peer-to-peer networks, and/or ad-hoc connections.

In some implementations, a client device 102-1 or 102-m is associatedwith one or more users. In some implementations, a client device 102 isa personal computer, mobile electronic device, wearable computingdevice, laptop computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, feature phone,smart phone, digital media player, or any other electronic devicecapable of presenting media content (e.g., controlling playback of mediaitems, such as audio tracks, videos, etc.). A client device 102 mayconnect to a media presentation system 108 wirelessly or through a wiredconnection (e.g., directly through an interface, such as an HDMIinterface). In some implementations, a client device 102 is a headlessclient. In some implementations, client devices 102-1 and 102-m are thesame type of device (e.g., client device 102-1 and client device 102-mare both mobile devices). Alternatively, client device 102-1 and clientdevice 102-m are different types of devices.

In some implementations, client devices 102-1 and 102-m send and receivemedia-control information through the networks 112. For example, clientdevices 102-1 and 102-m send media control requests (e.g., requests toplay audio, movies, videos, or other media items, or playlists thereof)to media content server 104 through network(s) 112. Additionally, clientdevices 102-1 and 102-m, in some implementations, also receiveauthentication tokens from the media content server 104 throughnetwork(s) 112.

In some implementations, client device 102-1 communicates directly withmedia presentation systems 108. As pictured in FIG. 1, client device102-1 is able to communicate directly (e.g., through a wired connectionor through a short-range wireless signal, such as those associated withpersonal-area-network (e.g., BLUETOOTH/BLE) communication technologies,radio-frequency-based near-field communication technologies, infraredcommunication technologies, etc.) with media presentation systems 108,while client device 102-m communicates with the media presentationsystems 108 through network(s) 112. In some implementations, clientdevice 102-1 uses the direct connection with media presentation systems108 to stream content (e.g., data for media items) for playback on themedia presentation systems 108.

In some implementations, client device 102-1 and client device 102-meach include a media application 322 (FIG. 3) that allows a user of theclient device to browse, request (e.g., for playback at the clientdevice 102 and/or a media presentation system 108), and/or present mediacontent (e.g., control playback of audio, videos, etc.). Media contentmay be stored locally (e.g., in memory 312 of the client device 102,FIG. 3) and/or received in a data stream (e.g., from the media contentserver 104). The media presentation system 108 may be part of the clientdevice 102, such as built-in speakers and/or a screen, or may beseparate from the client device 102, such as a wirelessly coupledspeaker (e.g., speaker 108-1).

In some implementations, the media content server 104 stores andprovides media content (also referred to as media items) (e.g., mediacontent requested by the media application 322 of client device 102-1and/or 102-m) to client devices 102 and/or media presentation systems108 via the network(s) 112. Content stored and served by the mediacontent server 104, in some implementations, includes any appropriatecontent, including audio (e.g., music, spoken word, podcasts, etc.),videos (e.g., short-form videos, music videos, television shows, movies,clips, previews, etc.), text (e.g., articles, blog posts, emails, etc.),images (e.g., photographs, drawings, renderings, etc.), games (e.g., 2-or 3-dimensional graphics-based computer games, etc.), or anycombination of content types (e.g., web pages that include anycombination of the foregoing types of content or other content notexplicitly listed). Audio media items (i.e., audio items) may bereferred to as tracks.

The description of the media content server 104 as a “server” isintended as a functional description of the devices, systems, processorcores, and/or other components that provide the functionality attributedto the media content server 104. It will be understood that the mediacontent server 104 may be a single server computer, or may be multipleserver computers. Moreover, the media content server 104 may be coupledto other servers and/or server systems, or other devices, such as otherclient devices, databases, content delivery networks (e.g., peer-to-peernetworks), network caches, and the like. In some implementations, themedia content server 104 is implemented by multiple computing devicesworking together to perform the actions of a server system (e.g., cloudcomputing).

As described above, media presentation systems 108 (e.g., speaker 108-1,TV 108-2, DVD 108-3, media presentation system 108-n) are capable ofreceiving media content (e.g., from the media content server 104) andpresenting the received media content. For example, speaker 108-1 may bea component of a network-connected audio/video system (e.g., a homeentertainment system, a radio/alarm clock with a digital display, or aninfotainment system of a vehicle). In some implementations, the mediacontent server 104 sends media content to the media presentation systems108. For example, media presentation systems 108 include computers,dedicated media players, network-connected stereo and/or speakersystems, network-connected vehicle media systems, network-connectedtelevisions, network-connected DVD players, and universal serial bus(USB) devices used to provide a playback device with networkconnectivity, and the like.

Personality traits of a user may relate to the user's music listeninghabits (e.g., as indicated by data stored in the listening history ofthe user). A variety of mood, genre, demographic and behavioralvariables can correspond to different personality traits of a user.Thus, it is possible to identify a personality trait of a user based onthe content (e.g., music) the user consumes (e.g., listens to) and thecontext in which they consume the content. For example, music that isenergetic and rhythmic tends to be preferred by users who areextroverted. Users who are more open to new experiences tend to prefermusic that is reflective and complex. In addition to the genres of themusic, personality traits may also be related to a user's preferencesfor broad musical styles and fine-grained sonic features (e.g., beatsper minute) and emotional musical attributes. An accumulation oflistening behavior (e.g., the listening history), including contentchoices and patterns of interaction with the media-providing service,may be used to define musical taste.

Before assigning a personality trait to the user, a personality modelmay be built to relate information about a user and the user's listeningpatterns to personality traits. The personality model may be based on avariety of data sources related to users' demography (e.g., age,gender), musical taste, and interactions with the media-providingservice (e.g., with an application on the client device 102). These datasources may be measured over a period of time (e.g., months). The modelmay also include a user's musical taste, which may be based on data fromthe users' listening history, represented for example as genre and moodvectors. The vectors are then aggregated and normalized to get apercentage of listening from each genre or mood. Other metrics may beincorporated into the model, including diversity metrics, discoverymetrics, regularity and listening habits, and tilt. Discovery detailshow open a user is to exploring new music. Examples of discovery metricsare described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/696,964, which isincorporated by reference in its entirety. Diversity focuses on the sizeof a user's musical universe, where users with low diversity have verynarrow tastes. Examples of diversity metrics are described in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/729,351, which is incorporated byreference in its entirety. Contextual listening will indicate what auser's typical audio fingerprint is and whether the user's tastenoticeably changes by context, thus providing information aboutregularity and listening habits. Examples of regularity metrics aredescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/684,841, which isincorporated by reference in its entirety. Tilt covers how a userengages with the media-providing service (e.g., application), such aswhether the user actively chooses music or simply lets music play in thebackground. Tilt thus measures a user's tendency to engage with themedia-providing service through a client device.

The model may identify users' personality traits based on aquestionnaire, such as the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44) or theMeyers-Briggs personality survey. The traits measured by thequestionnaire may then be used as the possible personality traits thatcan be assigned to the user. For example, where the Big Five Inventoryis used to create the model, the possible personality traits to assignto the user include the Big Five personality traits: openness,conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

A regression model (e.g., a Lasso regression model) using the same setof metrics is used to predict the numerical values of each of thepersonality traits. In some embodiments, a plurality of regressionmodels are used to predict personality traits. For each model,cross-validation (e.g., a 10-fold cross-validation) may be used to testthe out-of-sample accuracy of the model. This may indicate which of thepersonality traits are most predictable based on the data. For example,neuroticism and conscientiousness may be the most predictable. Further,each personality trait may be characterized by the presence of aspecific variable. For example, neuroticism and openness may becharacterized by the presence of a specific mood (e.g., an emotional tagassociated with content).

In addition to correlating with mood (emotional tags), the personalitytraits may also have correlations with other metrics (e.g., diversitymetrics, discovery metrics). For example, conscientiousness maycorrelate to maintaining a steady level of diversity across all timescales. The model may also be based on deep learning or trained ondemographic segments. Other inputs, such as longer listening windows oradditional metrics, may also be added to the model.

FIGS. 2A-2C are flow diagrams illustrating a method 200 for providingpersonalized content for a client device associated with a user, inaccordance with some implementations. Method 200 may be performed (202)at an electronic device (e.g., media content server 104 and/or clientdevice 102) having one or more processors and memory storinginstructions for execution by the one or more processors. The electronicdevice is associated with a media-providing service. For example, themedia content server provides media content for playback to clientdevices 102 and/or media presentation systems 108 in a media contentdelivery system 100, while the client device 102 allows the user tocontrol playback. In some implementations, the method 200 is performedby executing instructions stored in the memory of the electronic device(e.g., in memory 406, FIG. 4 or memory 312, FIG. 3). In someimplementations, the method 200 is performed by a plurality ofelectronic devices, for example by a combination of a server system anda client device.

Referring now to FIG. 2A, in performing the method 200, the electronicdevice accesses (204) a listening history of a user of themedia-providing service. In some embodiments, the listening historyspecifies tracks consumed by (e.g., requested by, listened to by,streamed to, provided to) the user. The electronic device may compilethe listening history by recording which tracks have been consumed bythe user. In some embodiments, the listening history of the userincludes a plurality of sessions with the media-providing service forthe user. The listening history may contain additional information(e.g., artist, album, genre, etc.) about the tracks consumed by the userand/or about listening contexts in which the tracks were consumed (e.g.,time of day, day of a week, location (e.g., in the car, at home), etc.).In some embodiments, the listening history is stored at an electronicdevice (e.g., a server and/or client device) distinct from (e.g., remotefrom) the electronic device performing the method 200. For example, theclient device 102 may perform the method 200 and the listening histories438 are stored at media content server 104. Alternately, the listeninghistory is stored at the electronic device performing the method 200(e.g., as the listening history 329 of client device 102 and/or thelistening histories 438 of media content server 104).

In some embodiments, the electronic device assigns (206) one or morecharacteristics of tracks to each personality trait of a plurality ofpersonality traits. The tracks are provided by the media-providingservice. In some embodiments, assigning the one or more characteristicsto the personality trait is performed (208) based on a machine-learningalgorithm. In some embodiments, the machine-learning algorithm is basedon a model, such as the model described above based on a data set fromsurvey results (e.g., a survey in which users identify themselves asassociated with one or more personality traits). In some embodiments,the one or more characteristics include (210) characteristics selectedfrom the group consisting of moods (e.g., emotional tags associated withtracks) and genres, or from the group consisting of moods, genres,musical styles, and fine-grained sonic features. For example, a trackmay be tagged with one or more moods, such as excited, melancholic,dark, aggressive, etc. A track may also, or instead, be associated withone or more genres, such as rock, rap, country, religious, pop,alternative, jazz, classical, etc.

In some embodiments, the electronic device determines (212), based onthe listening history of the user, that the user has consumed trackshaving a first characteristic of the one or more characteristics. Thefirst characteristic is assigned to a first personality trait of theplurality of personality traits. In some embodiments, an electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device performing the method 200 or adistinct electronic device not performing the method 200) storesinformation that assigns and/or associates the tracks with the one ormore characteristics. For example, an electronic device may assign oneor more moods (emotional tags) and/or one or more genres to the tracks.In some embodiments, an electronic device may assign one or more musicalstyles and/or one or more fine-grained sonic features (e.g., beats perminute) to the tracks. In some embodiments, once the tracks are assignedto the one or more moods and/or the one or more genres, the assignment(i.e., the association between the tracks and moods/genres) is stored inthe listening history of the user.

In some embodiments, the electronic device determines (214) that anumber of tracks having the first characteristic in the listeninghistory of the user satisfies a threshold. In some embodiments, thethreshold can be a set number unrelated to the total number of tracks inthe listening history. For example, the threshold may be K tracks, whereK is an integer greater than one. In some embodiments, the threshold isa proportion (e.g., a fraction or percentage), such that the number oftracks having the first characteristic is dependent on how many tracksare in the listening history of the user. For example, the threshold maybe J tracks, where J is a fraction or percentage of the total number oftracks. In some embodiments, in accordance with a determination that thenumber of tracks having the first characteristic in the listeninghistory of the user does not satisfy the threshold, the electronicdevice forgoes assigning the first personality trait (associated withthe first characteristic) to the user.

In some embodiments, the electronic device assigns (216) one or moreuser behaviors to a first personality trait. The one or more userbehaviors may include information on how the user consumes content. Forexample, the electronic device may determine that a threshold use of askip feature is assigned to neuroticism. As another example, theelectronic device may associate a threshold use of a shuffle feature isassigned to openness.

Referring to FIG. 2B, in some embodiments, the electronic device tracks(218) behavior of a user. For example, the electronic device trackslistening behavior of the user, such as user inputs to control playbackor user selection of tracks. In some embodiments, the electronic devicestores (220) information about the tracked behavior in the listeninghistory of the user. In some embodiments, the electronic device tracks alevel of engagement the user has with the media-providing service (e.g.,determines tilt metric). In some embodiments, the electronic devicetracks a level of discovery of the user (e.g., determines a discoverymetric). In some embodiments, the electronic device tracks (222) use ofa shuffle feature by the user. In some embodiments, the electronicdevice tracks (224) use of a skip feature by the user. In someembodiments, the electronic device counts (226) a number of tracks theuser skips before completing playback (e.g., a number of tracks that theuser skips either completely or after partial playback).

In some embodiments, the electronic device determines (228) that atracked behavior of the user (e.g., use of the shuffle feature trackedin step 222 or use of the skip feature tracked in step 224) correspondsto a first user behavior of the one or more user behaviors assigned tothe first personality trait in step 216.

Based at least in part on the listening history of the user, theelectronic device assigns (230) the first personality trait of theplurality of personality traits to the user. In some embodiments,assigning the first personality trait to the user is based at least inpart on determining (232) that the user has consumed the tracks havingthe first characteristic (e.g., that the threshold in step 214 issatisfied). In some embodiments, assigning the first personality traitto the user is based at least in part on determining (234) that thetracked behavior of the user corresponds to the first user behavior. Forexample, the electronic device labels (236) the user as neurotic (or ashaving another personality trait) in response to determining the numberof tracks the user skips satisfies a threshold, such that the userfrequently skips tracks.

In some embodiments, assigning the first personality trait to the user(238) is based at least in part on one or more demographic variables forthe user. The demographic variables may include age, gender, location,type of client device associated with the user, etc. The firstpersonality trait may be associated with one or more demographicvariables that have a positive or negative correlation based on themodel. For example, an age of the user may be positively correlated withthe personality trait of conscientiousness. In another example, use of aparticular type of client device may be associated with extroversion orintroversion. In some embodiments, assigning the first personality traitto the user is based on a number of tracks having the firstcharacteristic satisfying a threshold, the detection of user behaviorassociated with the first personality trait, and/or demographicvariables of the user being associated with the first personality trait.In some embodiments, these factors are weighted and used to assign thefirst personality trait to the user.

In some embodiments, the plurality of personality traits is selected(240) from the group consisting of openness, agreeableness,extroversion, neuroticism, and conscientiousness (i.e., traits from theBig Five personality model). In some embodiments, the plurality ofpersonality traits corresponds (242) to the Meyers-Briggs personalitymodel. The plurality of personality traits may correspond to otherpersonality models. The plurality of personality traits may be selectedfrom a combination of multiple personality models. For example, thepersonality traits may include some (or all) of the personality traitsfrom the Big Five model and some (or all) of the personality traits fromthe Meyers-Briggs personality model.

Referring to FIG. 2C, in some embodiments, the electronic devicedetermines (244), based on characteristics of tracks in the listeninghistory of the user, a degree to which the user is associated with thefirst personality trait. In some embodiments, the electronic devicedetermines (246) a number of tracks having the first characteristic thathave been consumed by the user. For example, the degree to which theuser is associated with the first personality trait may be based on(e.g., proportional to) the number (or proportion) of tracks having thefirst characteristic in the user's listening history.

In some embodiments, the electronic device determines (248) an interestlevel corresponding to a user preference for a first content type over asecond content type based on the assigned personality trait. In someembodiments, the interest level is (250) an interest level in a message(e.g., an advertisement, a tooltip, a notification, a recommendation,etc.).

The electronic device provides (252) personalized content to the userbased on the first personality trait. In some embodiments, the providingis performed (254) in accordance with a determination that the degree towhich the user is associated with the first personality trait satisfiesa threshold. For example, the electronic device may provide thepersonalized content in accordance with a determination that the user isneurotic enough (e.g., a degree of neuroticism for the user satisfiesthe threshold). In some embodiments, if the degree to which the user isassociated with the first personality trait does not satisfy thethreshold, the electronic device forgoes providing personalized contentto the user.

In some embodiments, the threshold is predetermined by the electronicdevice. In some embodiments, the threshold of the degree to which theuser is associated with the first personality is distinct from (i.e.,has a different value than) the threshold of a degree to which the useris associated with a second personality trait. For example, thethreshold to provide content to the user based on the user beingassociated with neuroticism may be a different threshold (e.g., greaterthan or less than) than the threshold to provide content to the userbased on the user being associated with openness.

In some embodiments in which the personalized content includes one ormore messages with audio components, the electronic device changes (256)a tone of voice for messages for presentation to the user based on thefirst personality trait. For example, the tone of voice may be moreupbeat, high-pitched and/or exciting for users that have been assignedthe personality trait of extroversion. The tone of voice may be quietand/or soft-toned for users that have been assigned the personalitytrait of introversion. This modulation of tone helps to humanize theuser interface for the media-providing service in accordance with theuser's personality, thereby improving the user experience.

In some embodiments, the electronic device promotes (258), to the user,a content source associated with the first personality trait. Forexample, the content source could be a radio station and/or a playlistcompiled (e.g., provided) by the media-providing service. Themedia-providing service may determine what content to include in thecontent source (e.g., select which tracks of the tracks available fromthe media-providing service will be provided by the content source). Insome embodiments, the media-providing service determines what content toinclude in the content source based on the one or more personalitytraits assigned to the user. For example, the media-providing servicemay select tracks that are associated with a mood (e.g., have anemotional tag) for a particular personality trait (e.g., for neuroticusers) and may compile the selected tracks into a playlist to bepromoted to those users. The playlist thus may be promoted to the userof the method 200 in accordance with a determination that the user hasthe particular personality trait (e.g., is neurotic),

In some embodiments, the electronic device selects (260) tracks torecommend and/or provide to the user from one or more content sources ofthe media-providing services based on the first personality trait. Insome embodiments, the one or more content sources of the media-providingservice comprises (262) one or more radio stations. In some embodiments,the electronic device selects tracks that are associated with aparticular genre and/or mood based on the user having a personalitytrait that is associated with that particular genre and/or mood. Forexample, a user that is assigned to extraversion may be provided tracksthat are associated with an upbeat mood.

In some embodiments, the personalized content is provided (264) to theuser based on the interest level determined (248) to correspond to auser preference for a first content type over a second content typebased on the assigned personality trait. For example, a user assigned tothe personality trait of openness may have a preference for new content(content not previously consumed by the user) over old content (contentthat has been previously consumed by the user).

In some embodiments, the electronic device assigns (266) the user asecond personality trait based at least in part on the listening historyof the user. For example, a user may be assigned to two or morepersonality traits, such as both neurotic and introverted.

In some embodiments, the electronic device provides (268) personalizedcontent based on the second personality trait. In some embodiments, thepersonalized content is the same content as the personalized contentprovided in any of steps 252-264. In some embodiments, the personalizedcontent provided to the user based on the second personality trait isdifferent content than any of the content provided as described above inany of steps 252-264. In some embodiments, the electronic deviceprovides personalized content based on both the first personality traitand the second personality trait. For example, the electronic device mayprovide content that is associated with both the first personality traitand the second personality trait (e.g., a track that is associated withboth the first and second personality traits). The electronic device mayprovide a variety of content to the user, where a portion of theprovided content is associated with the first personality trait but notthe second personality trait, a portion of the provided content isassociated with the second personality trait but not the firstpersonality trait, and/or a portion of the provided content isassociated with both the first personality trait and the secondpersonality trait.

Although FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate a number of logical stages in aparticular order, stages which are not order dependent may be reorderedand other stages may be combined or broken out. For example, any or allof steps 206 through 210 and 216 through 228 may be performed beforestep 204. Further, a plurality of electronic devices (e.g., a serversystem and/or a client device) may perform the different stages. A firstelectronic device (e.g., a client device) may provide a selected messageto the user, while the listening history is stored at a secondelectronic device (e.g., a server system), and the personality trait maybe assigned to the user by the first or the second electronic device.

While some reordering or other groupings are specifically mentioned,others will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, so theordering and groupings presented herein are not an exhaustive list ofalternatives. Moreover, it should be recognized that the stages could beimplemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a client device 102 (e.g., clientdevice 102-1 and/or client device 102-m, FIG. 1) in accordance with someimplementations. The client device 102 includes one or more centralprocessing units (CPU(s), i.e., processors or cores) 302, one or morenetwork (or other communications) interfaces 310, memory 312, and one ormore communication buses 314 for interconnecting these components.

The client device 102 includes a user interface 304, including outputdevice(s) 306 and input device(s) 308. In some implementations, theinput devices 308 include a keyboard, mouse, or track pad.Alternatively, or in addition, in some implementations, the userinterface 304 includes a display device that includes a touch-sensitivesurface, in which case the display device is a touch-sensitive display.In client devices that have a touch-sensitive display, a physicalkeyboard is optional (e.g., a soft keyboard may be displayed whenkeyboard entry is needed). The output devices (e.g., output device(s)306) include a speaker 352 (e.g., speakerphone device) and/or an audiojack 350 (or other physical output connection port) for connecting tospeakers, earphones, headphones, or other external listening devices.Furthermore, some client devices 102 use a microphone and voicerecognition device to supplement or replace the keyboard. Optionally,the client device 102 includes an audio input device (e.g., amicrophone) to capture audio (e.g., speech from a user).

Optionally, the client device 102 includes a location-detection device340, such as a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) (e.g., GPS(global positioning system), GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou) or othergeo-location receiver, and/or location-detection software fordetermining the location of the client device 102 (e.g., module forfinding a position of the client device 102 using trilateration ofmeasured signal strengths for nearby devices).

In some implementations, the one or more network interfaces 310 includewireless and/or wired interfaces for receiving data from and/ortransmitting data to other client devices 102, media presentationssystems 108, a media content server 104, and/or other devices orsystems. In some implementations, data communications are carried outusing any of a variety of custom or standard wireless protocols (e.g.,NFC, RFID, IEEE 802.15.4, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, Thread, Z-Wave,Bluetooth, ISA100.11a, WirelessHART, MiWi, etc.). Furthermore, in someimplementations, data communications are carried out using any of avariety of custom or standard wired protocols (e.g., USB, Firewire,Ethernet, etc.). For example, the one or more network interfaces 310include a wireless interface 360 for enabling wireless datacommunications with other client devices 102, media presentationssystems 108, and/or or other wireless (e.g., Bluetooth-compatible)devices (e.g., for streaming audio data to the media presentationssystem 108). Furthermore, in some implementations, the wirelessinterface 360 (or a different communications interface of the one ormore network interfaces 310) enables data communications with otherWLAN-compatible devices (e.g., a media presentations system 108) and/orthe media content server 104 (via the one or more network(s) 112, FIG.1).

In some implementations, client device 102 includes one or more sensorsincluding, but not limited to, accelerometers, gyroscopes, compasses,magnetometer, light sensors, near field communication transceivers,barometers, humidity sensors, temperature sensors, proximity sensors,range finders, and/or other sensors/devices for sensing and measuringvarious environmental conditions.

Memory 312 includes high-speed random-access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM,DDR RAM, or other random-access solid-state memory devices; and mayinclude non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storagedevices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or othernon-volatile solid-state storage devices. Memory 312 may optionallyinclude one or more storage devices remotely located from the CPU(s)302. Memory 312, or alternately, the non-volatile memory within memory312, includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In someimplementations, memory 312 or the non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of memory 312 stores the following programs, modules, anddata structures, or a subset or superset thereof:

-   -   an operating system 316 that includes procedures for handling        various basic system services and for performing        hardware-dependent tasks;    -   network communication module(s) 318 for connecting the client        device 102 to other computing devices (e.g., media presentation        systems 108, media content server 104, and/or other client        devices) via the one or more network interface(s) 310 (wired or        wireless) connected to one or more network(s) 112;    -   a user interface module 320 that receives commands and/or inputs        from a user via the user interface 304 (e.g., from the input        devices 308) and provides outputs for playback and/or display on        the user interface 304 (e.g., the output devices 306);    -   a media application 322 (e.g., an application associated with        and for accessing a media-providing service of a media content        provider such as media content server 104, including a media        player, a streaming media application, or any other appropriate        application or component of an application) for browsing,        receiving, processing, presenting, and requesting playback of        media (e.g., media items, such as tracks). The media application        322 may also be used to monitor, store, and/or transmit (e.g.,        to media content server 104) data associated with user behavior.        The media application 322 includes the following modules (or        sets of instructions), or a subset or superset thereof:        -   an authentication module 324 for sending authentication            tokens corresponding to one or more media presentation            systems associated with the client device 102 (e.g., one or            more of the media presentation systems 108 from FIG. 1),            receiving authentication tokens from other devices, and/or            generating authentication tokens for media presentation            systems associated with client device 102;        -   a media content browsing module 326 for providing controls            and/or user interfaces enabling a user to navigate, select            for playback, and otherwise control or interact with media            content, whether the media content is stored or played            locally or remotely;        -   a content items module 328 storing media items for playback;            and        -   a listening history 329 storing information about tracks            consumed by the user and/or the user's playback behavior;    -   a web browser application 330 (e.g., Internet Explorer or Edge        by Microsoft, Firefox by Mozilla, Safari by Apple, or Chrome by        Google) for accessing, viewing, and interacting with web sites;        and    -   other applications 332, such as applications for word        processing, calendaring, mapping, weather, stocks, time keeping,        virtual digital assistant, presenting, number crunching        (spreadsheets), drawing, instant messaging, e-mail, telephony,        video conferencing, photo management, video management, a        digital music player, a digital video player, 2D gaming, 3D        (e.g., virtual reality) gaming, electronic book reader, and/or        workout support.

The memory 312 (e.g., the media application 322) may includeinstructions for performing the method 200 (FIGS. 2A-2C) or a portionthereof.

In some implementations, the media presentation system 108 is a type ofclient device 102, and includes some or all of the same components,modules, and sub-modules as described above in FIG. 3 with respect tothe client device 102.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a media content server 104 inaccordance with some implementations. The media content server 104typically includes one or more central processing units/cores (CPUs)402, one or more network interfaces 404, memory 406, and one or morecommunication buses 408 for interconnecting these components.

Memory 406 includes high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM,DDR RAM, or other random access solid-state memory devices; and mayinclude non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storagedevices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or othernon-volatile solid-state storage devices. Memory 406, optionally,includes one or more storage devices remotely located from one or moreCPUs 402. Memory 406, or, alternatively, the non-volatile memorydevice(s) within memory 406, includes a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium. In some implementations, memory 406, or thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of memory 406, storesthe following programs, modules and data structures, or a subset orsuperset thereof:

-   -   an operating system 410 that includes procedures for handling        various basic system services and for performing        hardware-dependent tasks;    -   a network communication module 412 that is used for connecting        the media content server 104 to other computing devices via one        or more network interfaces 404 (wired or wireless) connected to        one or more networks 112;    -   one or more server application modules 414 for performing        various functions with respect to providing and managing a        content service, the server application modules 414 including,        but not limited to, one or more of:        -   an authentication module 416 for managing authentication            and/or authorization requests, the authentication module 416            including, but not limited to, one or more of:            -   a token generating module 418 for generating                authentication tokens permitting use of media                presentation systems 108; and            -   a token validating module 420 for verifying that an                authentication token is valid (e.g., has not yet expired                or has not yet been revoked); and        -   a media request processing module 422 for processing            requests for media content and facilitating access to            requested media items by client devices (e.g., the client            device 102) including, optionally, streaming media content            to such devices and/or to one or more media presentation            systems 108;        -   a content personalization module 424 for assigning one or            more traits (e.g., a first personality trait) to a user and            providing personalized content (e.g., playlists, tracks,            advertisements, tooltips, notifications, etc.) to users of            the content service, including, but not limited to, one or            more of:            -   a playlist module 426 for processing (e.g., selecting                and/or generating) and storing data (e.g., playlists                and/or tracks) for selecting content based on the one or                more traits (e.g., the first personality trait);            -   a message module 428 for processing (e.g., selecting                and/or generating) messages (e.g., advertisements,                tooltips, notifications, and/or recommendations) to be                provided to the user based on the one or more traits                (e.g., the personality trait); and            -   a calculation module 429 for determining a degree to                which a user is associated with a trait.    -   one or more server data module(s) 430 for handling the storage        of and access to media items and metadata relating to the media        items; in some implementations, the one or more server data        module(s) 430 include:        -   a media content database 432 for storing media items (e.g.,            audio files, video files, text files, etc.);        -   a metadata database 434 for storing metadata relating to the            media items;        -   a media account database 436 for storing account information            for user media accounts, including user profiles (e.g.,            demographic groups), credentials (e.g., user identifiers,            passwords, email addresses, etc.), credentials or            identifiers of any linked accounts, listening histories, and            the like; and        -   listening histories 438 storing information about tracks            consumed by one or more users and/or the playback behavior            of the one or more users (e.g., each user has a respective            listening history of the listening histories).

The memory 406 (e.g., the content personalization module 424) mayinclude instructions for performing the method 200 (FIGS. 2A-2C) or aportion thereof.

In some implementations, the media content server 104 includes web orHypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) servers, File Transfer Protocol (FTP)servers, as well as web pages and applications implemented using CommonGateway Interface (CGI) script, PHP Hyper-text Preprocessor (PHP),Active Server Pages (ASP), Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), ExtensibleMarkup Language (XML), Java, JavaScript, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML(AJAX), XHP, Javelin, Wireless Universal Resource File (WURFL), and thelike.

Each of the above identified modules stored in memory 312 and 406corresponds to a set of instructions for performing a function describedherein. The above identified modules or programs (i.e., sets ofinstructions) need not be implemented as separate software programs,procedures, or modules, and thus various subsets of these modules may becombined or otherwise re-arranged in various implementations. In someimplementations, memory 312 and 406 optionally store a subset orsuperset of the respective modules and data structures identified above.Furthermore, memory 312 and 406 optionally store additional modules anddata structures not described above.

Although FIG. 4 illustrates the media content server 104 in accordancewith some implementations, FIG. 4 is intended more as a functionaldescription of the various features that may be present in one or moremedia content servers than as a structural schematic of theimplementations described herein. In practice, and as recognized bythose of ordinary skill in the art, items shown separately could becombined and some items could be separated. For example, some itemsshown separately in FIG. 4 could be implemented on single servers andsingle items could be implemented by one or more servers. The actualnumber of servers used to implement the media content server 104, andhow features are allocated among them, will vary from one implementationto another and, optionally, depends in part on the amount of datatraffic that the server system handles during peak usage periods as wellas during average usage periods.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific implementations. However, theillustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the implementations to the precise forms disclosed. Manymodifications and variations are possible in view of the aboveteachings. The implementations were chosen and described in order tobest explain the principles and their practical applications, to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best utilize the implementations andvarious implementations with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: at an electronic deviceassociated with a media-providing service having one or more processorsand memory storing instructions for execution by the one or moreprocessors: tracking behavior of a user over a predefined time period;determining that at least a portion of the tracked behavior isassociated with a first personality trait identified by themedia-providing service; based at least in part on the tracked behavior,assigning the first personality trait to the user; and providing to theuser, personalized content associated with the first personality traitassigned to the user.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:identifying one or more characteristics of media items as relating to atleast one respective personality trait of a plurality of personalitytraits; and assigning one or more user behaviors to the respectivepersonality trait.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that atleast a portion of the tracked behavior is associated with the firstpersonality trait comprises determining that the tracked behavior of theuser corresponds to a first user behavior of the one or more userbehaviors.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking behavior of theuser comprises storing information about the tracked behavior in alistening history of the user.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising, at the electronic device: assigning the user a secondpersonality trait based at least in part on a listening history of theuser; and providing personalized content to the user based on the secondpersonality trait.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the userbehavior includes tracking use of a shuffle feature by the user.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein tracking the user behavior includes trackinguse of a skip feature by the user.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein:tracking the use of the skip feature comprises counting a number ofmedia items the user skips before completing playback; and assigning thefirst personality trait to the user comprises labeling the user asneurotic in response to determining that the number of media items theuser skips satisfies a threshold.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinproviding the personalized content comprises changing a tone of voicefor messages for presentation to the user based on the first personalitytrait.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the personalizedcontent comprises promoting, to the user, a content source associatedwith the first personality trait.
 11. The method of claim 1, whereinproviding the personalized content comprises selecting media items torecommend to the user from one or more content sources of themedia-providing service.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one ormore content sources of the media-providing service comprise one or moreradio stations.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at theelectronic device, determining an interest level corresponding to a userpreference for a first content type over a second content type, based atleast in part on the assigned first personality trait; wherein thepersonalized content is provided to the user based on the interestlevel.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the interest level is aninterest level in a message.
 15. The method of claim 1, whereinassigning the first personality trait to the user is further based atleast in part on one or more demographic variables for the user.
 16. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first personality trait is selected fromthe group consisting of: openness, agreeableness, extroversion,neuroticism, and conscientiousness.
 17. The method of claim 1, whereinthe first personality trait corresponds to the Meyers-Briggs personalitymodel.
 18. An electronic device of a media-providing service,comprising: one or more processors; and memory storing one or moreprograms for execution by the one or more processors, the one or moreprograms comprising instructions for: tracking behavior of a user over apredefined time period; determining that at least a portion of thetracked behavior is associated with a first personality trait identifiedby the media-providing service; based at least in part on the trackedbehavior, assigning the first personality trait to the user; andproviding, to the user, personalized content associated with the firstpersonality trait assigned to the user.
 19. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configuredfor execution by an electronic device of a media-providing service, theone or more programs comprising instructions for: tracking behavior of auser over a predefined time period; determining that at least a portionof the tracked behavior is associated with a first personality traitidentified by the media-providing service; based at least in part on thetracked behavior, assigning the first personality trait to the user; andproviding, to the user, personalized content associated with the firstpersonality trait assigned to the user.